Without further ado...let's get the bad news out of the way.
I struggled with this a little, but there is no way I will be able to make the release date of June 30th of this year. Even if I pushed really hard and released a bug-riddled mess, it would STILL be incomplete. There is simply too much to do and not enough hours in the day.
Therefore, this is an official announcement of a release date delay. The goal now reverts back to what it once was, which is to simply get the game out at any time this year. So...I guess December 31st 2022 at 11:59pm is the new target date. Depending on when things are release-ready I may shuffle that around just a bit as I doubt actually releasing it on December 31st would be good for sales, but I'll cross that hurdle when I come to it.
Due to this delay, I do instead plan to release a game demo update very soon! This update will include Minorod, Galest, and maaaaybe Urusagi, but until the full game is released players will not be able to level up and most abilities will be locked. However, keep in mind that all experience points do carry over to the full version! Players can get a head start on leveling up for when the full version is available later this year. More details on this demo to come in June.
Alright, gloominess aside let's get into the good stuff. I promised you some Galest abilities and in keeping with what was previously shown from Minorod, I've got three of Galest's Wind-based abilities ready for action!
First up, let's take a look at the "Cardinal Winds" ability.
This ability summons damaging wind balls from the cardinal directions of the arena (north, east, south and west) in succession. If you can trick your opponent into standing within their line of fire, it will deal some solid damage! One unique aspect of this ability is Galest can actually channel it virtually forever. This mean's if you can get your opponent to stand within it's line of sight for a period of time, they'll be taking massive damage.
Of course, there are a few drawbacks. Galest is completely defenseless while channeling and the longer the ability is channeled the longer the cooldown is. The ability is also very predictable since the pattern and trajectory of the projectiles never changes. Still, if you can put your opponent in a compromised position it may be worth the slot in your ability loadout.
The next ability is a fun one, "Whirlwind". Whirlwind turns Galest into a spinning top of damaging doom! Unlike most abilities, Galest can continue to move while using this ability and that extra mobility will surely come in handy.
You may notice at the very end of the ability a few stars appear around Galest's head. This is where the downside of the ability comes in...a self-inflicted stun! Stun is a status effect that leaves the Mythlink completely unable to move or perform abilities for it's duration. All that spinning makes Galest dizzy, so it's only natural that a moment of recovery is needed after it's been used.
Galest is a tricky one, so no loadout would be complete without an ability to mess with your opponent a bit!
The "Luftstrom" (or "air current" in Swedish) is just the kind of annoying ability you would expect from a Galest. When luftstrom is triggered, Galest summons a wall of wind and pushes it forward. The wall has collisions and can force objects backwards! Just look how the test dummy gets thrown back by the wall.
As always, all of the abilities are subject to changes so don't be surprised if they don't appear in the final version exactly as presented here.
One last note, in order to be more consistent with the marketing campaign starting soon, all blog posts will now be posted on the last day of the month (or at least, attempted to fall on that cadence). Now you'll have a convenient way to set your alarms on when to check for new posts.
Until next time...
Enter: Urusagi
The time has finally come. Welcome to the reveal of the final Mythlink planned for the 1.0 release of Mythlink!
We've had our tough brawler with Minorod, our silly jokester with Galest, so what's left? A cute and cuddly representative of course! And Urusagi (oo-roo-sah-gee) is here to fit the bill. Note these colors are not final.
So what is Urusagi? The name was generated by a play on words from the Japanese language. "Urusai" can mean to be loud while "usagi" is a rabbit. Put them together and what do you get? Urusagi. As you look closer at the design, you can see several references to this name. The base rabbit model is obvious, but there are also a healthy amount of sound related attributes. The most noticeable are the ears, which are embedded with speakers. Moving on to the belly, we can see a sort of sound wave pattern, then on the back a visualized sound wave like you may have seen during some sound/video visualization experiences.
Urusagi may look cute, but that doesn't mean it isn't feisty in battle! The name continues to heavily influence Urusagi's battle elements within the game. Urusagi uses a mix of Sound (a derivative of wind) and Light elemental abilities. However, the details of that will be saved for another time! Afterall, we haven't even covered Galest's abilities yet. Was that a hint for next month's topic?
Now a brief production update. Minorod is functionally complete! All abilities and animations are currently in the testing phase. For those who can do the quick math you'll note that it is March, which is 3 months away from the target release date of June 30th. However, only 1 out of 3 Mythlinks are complete and Minorod took at least 3 months. There is some streamlining of development which will make the others go faster, but unfortunately I sense a game delay coming soon to a blog near you.
Thanks for reading, until next time...
Looking Forward and Looking Back, 2021-2022
This is now what...the 4th year of doing these annual review/preview blogs? You know the drill, let's do it.
2021
A slow year for development. After 2020's blistering pace, 2021 came to a screeching halt. Nevertheless, there were things that got done.
1) Mythlink 3D Models and Animations
There was some decent success here in 2021. Two of the three initial planned Mythlink's have had their 3D models completed and they both have a healthy slew of animations to work with. More animations will be needed for the final release and the third Mythlink is not yet modeled (it's in progress), but overall I think this ended in a good spot.
2) The Game Development World Championship 2021
The unexpected success of 2021 was GDWC, which Mythlink took part in June of 2021. Although Mythlink did not walk away as winner of the "weekly favorite", I still thought it was a fun and interesting way to get exposure. Here's to hoping more of these opportunities come around as we near release!
In 2021 I mentioned that ultimately, my goal was to release the paid version of Mythlink within 2021 or the early part of 2022. I suppose it depends on your definition of "early", but as previously announced, I don't see it happening before July of this year. You can call that a miss, but not one I feel too guilty about.
2022
So, we've still got some work to do (what else is new?)
1) Release the Paid Version of Mythlink
Look familiar? This is the same goal put forth in the 2020-2021 review/preview! It will happen this year though, I just know it and have been working hard to make it a reality. As previously mentioned, the game will release with 3 unique Mythlinks, each with their own abilities and quirks. The current target date is before July of this year. That means the current release date is June 30, 2022 I suppose! I really would feel horrible about missing the release date, but would feel more horrible if the game released as a buggy mess, so if it gets delayed, it gets delayed. I'm definitely doing my best!
2) Start a Fierce Marketing Campaign
This should probably be listed as number 1, since these efforts will start before the game is released. The short of it is, Mythlink advertising has been non-existant. This was for a number of reasons, but will change soon. I touched on this a little bit last year, but now I've got personel in place and the time is almost right.
3) Enter Competitions, Conventions, and the Like
Related to 1 and 2, the best part of release year is all the things you can do out the gate! Award shows, conventions, and lots of fun to be had. Assuming I can get Mythlink out in a timely manner this year (and I don't mean December 31st), it would be really awesome to hit the road (either physically or virtually) and take part in these things. I'm quite looking forward to this. It almost feels like a victory lap after years of development.
Of course, as I've said many times before, once Mythlink is released, it's just the beginning. There is work to be done that only starts with the release and I hope that it is successful enough to justify acting on those ambitions.
Here's hoping for a rocking 2022!
A Shocking Christmas
A belated Christmas gift! This month we've got a few of Minorod's abilities on display. Specifically, 3 of Minorod's lightning-based abilities.
First up we have the "Lightning Rod" ability. Here, a Minorod will use it's uniquely designed horn (complete with gold ring, for extra conductivity) to channel a lightning bolt from the heavens.
This ability causes Minorod to become "Electrified" which is a key mechanic. Some of Minorod's abilities become enhanced while electrified, while some other abilities can't be used at all unless electrified! You'll notice that the recoil from the shock leaves Minorod slightly vunerable during it's use, but I think you'll find it's well worth the risk and this ability will be integral in most Minorod loadouts!
Next up, we have the "Thunder Shock" ability. This ability is quick and deals a solid amount of damage as a ranged attack, but has a fairly narrow hitbox and can be difficult to land a precision shot. Minorod doesn't have a ton of long range attacks, so it still might be worth a slot in your ability list!
Last, but certainly not least, is the "Hekireki" ability. This can be considered one of Minorod's ultimate lightning abilities and can only be used while "Electrified"! This ability deals massive damage but has a long cooldown and leaves Minorod slightly vulnerable during it's use. Fun fact: Hekireki means "Thunderclap" in Japanese.
Keep in mind, Minorod has affinity for both lightning and earth abilities, and this is just a small selection of his overall move set. Look forward to seeing the entire moveset available on launch when Mythlink releases in 2022!
Next month, we'll do our annual review and preview for 2021 and 2022. Stay warm and see you then!
Not Stuffed
And just like that, the holiday season has begun! Unfortunately, the blog post this month is not very seasonal. That is, instead of getting a hearty helping of content updates instead there is...nothing!
Indeed, rest assured that development is moving along but currently the game is in a "grind it out" stage without much to show that you haven't already seen before.
That being said, thanks to all of the end-of-year holidays (and subsequent day job time off) progress should be swift over the next month while we start ramping up towards the first full release!
Time to start working off all those extra calories with some extra fierce development time. Until next month!
Galest Gets Moving
'Tis the season for ghosts! What better time to show off some of the animations for the just announced ghost Mythlink- Galest? This is just an animation preview, so it won't be as detailed or implemented in the game like back in July when we did similar for Minorod. Unfortunately, there isn't really anything else prepared to show off so we're rolling with it! As always, these are works in progress and subject to change.
Galest's idle animation has him constantly moving to give a slightly annoying feel as is their personality. What's so funny anyway?
The jump animation helps exaggerate the unique anatomy of a Galest by having the arms "lag behind" the body.
A simple walking (floating?) animation shows Galest just sailing along...
Did you manage to defeat a Galest? Watch! As he get obliterated from existence! Or maybe that's just him running away in shame...
Hope you enjoyed the small showcase! November will be a pretty busy month outside of the Mythlink world, so there is no topic preview this time around. Once things settle down around mid-November there should be some heavy development as we ramp up for the full release. Stick with us until then and have a happy Halloween!
Enter: Galest
The leaves are changing, it's getting cooler outside, and October is approaching. That can only mean one thing, Halloween is just around the corner! That being the case, what better time to introduce the ghost themed Mythlink!
These are still some very early 3D drafts of the Mythlink, as you'll note by the lack of color, but after last month's admittedly lame blog we needed something with a little bit more substance this month, no?
The concept with Galest started with the idea that we have a sort of brawny-tough guy Mythlink with Minorod, so in order to widen the appeal of the first set of Mythlink's I wanted something kind of on the not-quite-scary, mischievous, side of things and then we'll round it out with a cute-ish Mythlink at the end (*hint*hint*).
Starting from the top, Galest has some tendril-like looking hairs coming out of the top of his head. This is actually representative of the Wind elemental symbol, which you will see in a future blog post. The head is fairly basic, but you can see Galest Mythlink's have devious looking eye slits, and a grin that shows they are up to no good.
Moving onto the arms, you may have detected that they aren't even attached to a Galest's body! Indeed, the hands are free floating around the Galest, which they use both in their abilities and to pull pranks outside of the arena.
Finally, if we look at the bottom half of a Galest, you'll notice they don't really have much of a body! Rather, it's almost like a mini cyclone that is in constant motion. You may think that it is Wind related, but actually, it doubles as the symbol for the Dark element when viewed from below! A neat touch no?
Please keep in mind that this is just a pure 3D model of a Galest! Being a ghost, there will be plenty of visual effects that will accompany this model, making Galest more "ghost-like" and ethereal when you encounter them in game. For those who don't know, you don't handle that sort of thing during the modeling process, it's all done afterward.
If you haven't already guessed from the visual overview, Gameplay-wise, Galest Mythlinks use wind and dark themed attacks. Some of their attacks can even directly influence your opponents movement! Talk about a hinderance! Their mischievous personality will definitely come into play when you either utilize or face off against this ghastly Mytlink.
Of course, none of this is completely finalized and everything is subject to change before the final release of Mythlink next year. Next month, to round out our spooky showcase, I hope to show some of the animations of Galest so you can see the cheeky fellow in action! Until then...
A Grind-It-Out Month
As you may have guessed from the late-month post, not too much to show off this time! Instead, I'll just give an update of where everything is at in the development pipeline (jeez this really is starting to sound like work now).
The Next Mythlink: Design is finished and the concepts have already been sent to the artist for modeling. I was hoping they would have the first pass check ready before this post, but it seems they did not. I would fully expect the modeling to be ready for showing next month.
The Third Mythlink: Design is wrapping up. It should be 100% finished within the next few days here, but since the artist is still backlogged on the second Mythlink, there is really not too much of a rush on this. Good news there is it is ready to go right after the second Mythlink is complete. This means we are well on track for full release in the first half of 2022 as planned.
Elemental Logos: I've talked a bit about elements in the past. Although they don't have any real effect on damage or anything like that, they are still thematic and therefore need representation. I've developed a set of icons that represent each of the elements. Right now they are being worked to clean up from rough sketches to nice vector images for future use. I'll show these off in a future blog post when nothing else of interest is available.
And that's that. Kind of a lame update, but it is what it is! Can't be all action all the time, am I right? Check back next month where hopefully it will be a mini showcase of the second Mythlink!
Minorod Gets Moving
First, in order to get the elephant out of the room, we need to announce that unfortunately, Mythlink did not win the weekly fan favorite in the Game Development World Championship. Ah well, there will be more contests in the future. In fact, since Mythlink will not be officially released until next year, we will get another chance to participate in the GDWC fan favorite vote then! I believe we put up a valiant fight, and a true thanks to everyone who took the time to vote! We'll take home the gold next time!
Alright so after much time wasting and delay, it's finally time to show off some of the basic animations for Minorod! There will certainly be more as time goes on, and keep in mind that these are just the basic animations without any of the "flair" of special effects and so on. It's just more fun to see things in motion, right?
Running animation as seen last month
Basic Walk Animation (What a cool lookin' dude)
A fierce multi-hit horn attack!
We did it! On our way to creating the best Mythlink Unity ever!
Oh jeez, we were defeated. How Embarrassing...(ok this one is a work in progress)
Let's get outta here!
Next month...well honestly I've been so busy that there have been virtually no Mythlink developments over the past several weeks. The next thing to tackle will be getting the modeling and animations going for the next Mythlink. The concept sketches are almost done, but it still needs to be finalized and sent to the artist for modeling. With some luck, it will be ready by the end of next month. So here's hoping I have something at least mildly interesting to show! Until then, cheers!
The GDWC 2021 Weekly Favorite Round 1
A very special edition of the monthly blog! The original blog post will be pushed to next month in lieu of something more important and exciting!
Mythlink is currently a candidate in the Game Development World Championship, weekly fan favorite contest! For those of you who want to cut straight to it, the link is here:
Simply scroll down a bit, click on the "Vote" button under Mythlink, and you're done! No registration or other input required.
Now for a little background...a few weeks ago Home Point Games was contacted by the staff at the GDWC asking to join their platform. It seemed like a great opportunity for exposure, so of course Mythlink was added. There are several categories, including standalone VR categories. Mythlink has been added to all relevant categories. This week is special because it's for the fan favorite category which relies on your vote to advance Mythlink to the next round. As far as I am aware, there are only 2 rounds. So, if we make it, it's onto the finals!
Only games which are in the demo phase or have been released in the current year are eligible, so expect Mythlink to take part in the GDWC next year as well when the full game releases.
Thanks to everyone for voting! And here is one of the Minorod animations I promised to show. Excuse the colors/lighting, still in progress. Come back for more next month!
